John Harbaugh had quite the run in Baltimore, with a 180-113 record in the regular season, a 13-11 postseason record and a Super Bowl title in 18 seasons. For all practical purposes, his time with the team ended Sunday night when the Ravens missed a last-second field goal in a loss to the Steelers that eliminated them from playoff contention.
The Ravens made it official Tuesday, announcing his firing.
Harbaugh, 64, signed a three-year deal last offseason that had him under contract through 2028. Now, though, Harbaugh will move on to his next stop.
He released a statement through the team after the Ravens’ announcement.
“Well, I was hoping for a different kind of message on my last day here, someday, but that day has come today. 😊 It comes with disappointment certainly, but more with GRATITUDE & APPRECIATION,” Harbaugh wrote. “Gratitude to the owner and organization who was willing to bring in a head coach who made his mark with special teams success. A difficult thing to do . . . and appreciation for all the moments, all these years, that are etched into eternity.
“I hope a legacy built on Faith, always Fighting, always Believing.
“Values built into an Organization, through a Team, that are Worthwhile, Good and Lasting and that are admired by fans and foes alike. Meaningful & Impactful Relationships with Players through the years that I will cherish always. Grateful for their Strength and Courage.
“Loyal partnerships in this wonderful building, that grew into strong friendships, through the toil and tempest of the job every day.
“Mostly to my treasured Family, my Ingrid and my Alison, who are beyond compare in every way and the Loves of my life, and my close-knit family and good friends who stick with you no matter what.
“Finally, to the author and finisher of our faith, Gratitude for a Journey beyond anything I could have dreamed of on my own – All is well with my soul because of the Good God who guides and sustains me.”
Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti officially announced that the team has fired head coach John Harbaugh on Tuesday.
Initial reports that Harbaugh would not return to the team for the 2026 season varied in language about the nature of his departure, but Bisciotti made it clear in a statement that the decision was made by the team.
“Following a comprehensive evaluation of the season and the overall direction of our organization, I decided to make a change at head coach,” Bisciotti said. “Today I informed John that he has been relieved of his duties. This was an incredibly difficult decision, given the tremendous 18 years we have spent together and the profound respect I have for John as a coach and, most importantly, as a great man of integrity.”
Bisciotti said Harbaugh built a “Hall of Fame coaching career” during his 18 years with the Ravens and said the team will always be grateful to a coach he called “a steadfast pillar of humility and leadership.” Bisciotti then pivoted to what’s next for the Ravens.
“Our goal has always been and will always be to win Championships,” Bisciotti said. “We strive to consistently perform at the highest level on the field and be a team and organization our fans take pride in. . . . We now begin the challenging, but exciting, process of identifying the next leader of our football team. We fully understand the expectations of our fans and everyone in the Ravens organization. Finding another strong leader and partner who will reflect these high standards is paramount.”
There will certainly be more to come about the Raven’s search for that leader in the days to come and Harbaugh is expected to be a target of attention from other teams in the market for a head coach this offseason.
Some missed field goals have bigger consequences than others.
For the Ravens, the 44-yard attempt from rookie kicker Tyler Loop that sailed wide at the conclusion of Sunday night’s game against the Steelers ended the season — and it ended the 18-year tenure of head coach John Harbaugh.
Whatever the label (some say fired, some say “parted ways”), Harbaugh is moving on.
He arrived in 2008, getting the job after more than a decade as a special-teams coordinator. A year as the defensive backs coach under Andy Reid in Philadelphia opened the door for a head-coaching opportunity. And Harbaugh ran through it.
His teams consistently contended, making it to the playoffs in 12 of his 18 seasons. The Ravens won Super Bowl XLVII, with the push fueled by a gutsy late-season offensive coordinator change from Cam Cameron to Jim Caldwell.
Harbaugh exits Baltimore with a regular-season record of 180–113, a 61.4-percent success rate. He was 13-11 in the postseason.
More recently, the Ravens have failed to fulfill their potential. Since quarterback Lamar Jackson emerged as an MVP-level performer, the Ravens have made it to the AFC Championship only once. This year, a 1-5 start made it very hard to dig out, with plenty of losses punctuated by blown double-digit leads. (They led the Steelers on Sunday, 10-0.)
Currently, Harbaugh is 14th all time in regular-season wins. And he’ll instantly become a top candidate for one of the existing vacancies.
Indeed, some teams that have yet to make a move may consider making a change if it means having a viable shot at upgrading to Harbaugh.
Regardless, he’ll have options elsewhere. After 18 years, it was time for a change, for both sides.
After firing Kevin Stefanski on Monday, the Browns have put in a request to interview a former assistant for the vacancy who now works for a division rival.
Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, Cleveland has requested to speak with Baltimore offensive coordinator Todd Monken.
Monken, 59, has been with the Ravens for the last three seasons. But he was also the Browns’ OC under former head coach Freddie Kitchens in 2019. Kitchens called plays for Cleveland that season.
The Ravens have finished No. 6, No. 1, and No. 16 in yards and No. 4, No. 3, and No. 11 in points in the team’s last three seasons under Monken.
A longtime assistant at the college and pro level, Monken was the Southern Miss head coach from 2013-2015, going 13-25. But the program went 9-5 with a bowl appearance in his third and final season there, with Monken named the 2015 Conference USA coach of the year.
After that season, Monken was hired by the Buccaneers to be their offensive coordinator.
The regular season ended with a thrilling 15 minutes of football, featuring four lead changes. There was almost a fifth, but Ravens kicker Tyler Loop’s 44-yard attempt sailed wide.
Here’s something we discussed on Monday’s PFT Live: Should the Ravens have tried to get the ball closer?
After an incredible catch on fourth and seven by tight end Isaiah Likely, the Ravens had the ball at Pittsburgh’s 24. Fourteen seconds remained. The Ravens had one timeout left.
They could have tried to gain more ground before the field goal attempt. With a timeout in hand, the Steelers defense would have been required to defend the entire field. A safe play call would have minimized the chances of a turnover. Getting the ball closer to the end zone would have reduced the chances of a miss.
Instead, the Ravens surrendered two yards, with quarterback Lamar Jackson receiving the snap and taking a knee in the middle of the field. A 42-yard kick became a 44-yard attempt.
If the kick had been good, it wouldn’t matter. But the possibility of a miss, even in the current age of cyborg kickers who make 60-yard field goals seem like chip shots, misfires still happen. And Acrisure Stadium has never been a kicker-friendly venue.
It’s always better, and safer, to try a shorter kick. But for the rare effort that starts wide and somehow glides back to the target, the shorter the kick, the greater the chance of making it.
The same thing happened on Saturday night. The Seahawks, after using a formation on fourth and a long one that wasn’t going to fool the 49ers into jumping early, took a five-yard penalty for delay of game in lieu of calling a timeout. Five yards back, the 26-yard kick clanked against the upright.
The miss didn’t matter, because the Seahawks continued to throttle the San Francisco offense. But the point stands: Always embrace a closer kick.
The Ravens had a chance to do that on Sunday night. The fact that the strategy they employed didn’t work makes it fair to ask whether they should have taken advantage of it. And it’s a factor for other coaches to file away when making critical decisions at the end of a game.
